Roasted red pepper hummus

One of the most popular sides for breads is hummus. I have always wanted to make the roasted red pepper hummus and since I found myself with too many of red bell peppers this seems like the perfect time. Hummus is such an easy and versatile dish and can be a simple one with just the basics or a flavourful one from one of the hundred available flavours. I made some soft sourdough buns to go with the hummus because this is as good an excuse as any. The summer also is an easy time for sourdough since you do not have to wait too long for delicious bread.

Anatomy of the Hummus

An easy way to break up the hummus is the body (the beans), baisc flavours, additional flavours and toppings. We can have different options for each of these to make any one of the wide variety of hummus options we like. Unavailability of any one ingredient does not mean we cannot have hummus when we want to.

The Beans

Chickpeas or garbanzo beans are the most common ingredient for hummus. But there have been many variations that have been tried and been quite successful. There are even hummus made without beans of any kind but being replaced with vegetables like cauliflower, zucchini or sweet potatoes. Some replacement options for chickpeas are –

Black chana / black chickpeas

Black bean

Red bean

Rajma / kidney beans

Lobia / One eyed peas / black eyed peas

White beans

Cauliflower

Beetroot

Carrot

Zucchini

Sweet potatoes

Basic flavours

The basic flavours or the fundamental parts of the hummus are Tahini, garlic, cumin and lemon. Ideally I would not recommend omitting any of these since they make the basic flavour profile of the hummus but garlic and tahini can be omitted. In that case I suggest the spicy flavours be amped up a little to compensate. Tahini can also be replaced with toasted sesame seeds to give the nutty flavour.

Additional flavours

I have to confess that the roasted red pepper hummus is my favorite of the lot but I have a huge list to choose from. The additional flavours are optional but if you are bored of the simple hummus then there are many flavours that you can add to make it more exciting. Some options are –

Instructions

Ensure the chickpeas and water are not more than half of the height of the bowl. This will give the chickpeas sufficient space to expand

Pressure cook the chickpeas for 8 minutes (in a small cooker). You can also cook it in an instapot or a large vessel. The vessel will take longer and needs to be constantly monitored to ensure adequate water is there to cook the chickpeas

Rub some oil on the red pepper and keep it directly on the gas flame. Keep turning it at regular intervals to ensure all sides are properly charred

Once the bell pepper cools slightly, peel off its skin and deseed it

Once the chickpeas cool, remove the skin on it. This ensures the texture of the hummus is creamy. It does not take too long and is worth it